11 Top Experts Share the Tricks at Startup Rock Stars Conference, March 24 in San Francisco LOS ALAMITOS, Calif., 20 January 2015 – At Startup Rock Stars, March 24 in San Francisco, attendees will receive everything they need to propel a successful business, including information on current funding options, from crowdfunding and incubators to venture and angel investing. The conference will also include a pitchathon where attendees can present their ideas to funders from Intel, HP, RocketHub, and Crowdfunder.
“Entrepreneurship is hot right now. There was a time where being a singer in a band was a weekend thing to pursue. Nowadays it’s entrepreneurship,” said Brian Meece, CEO of RocketHub and a speaker at Startup Rock Stars. Meece will share real-life case studies on maximizing success with crowdfunding.
Crowdfunding has the potential to democratize the process of raising money for new companies, says Leonhardt Ventures Executive Chairman Howard Leonhardt, who holds 26 patents and has founded nearly two dozen companies. Leonhardt also helps lead Startup California, a region of the Startup America Partnership, as a spokesperson on the JOBS ACT and crowdfunding. Leonhardt will be speaking at Startup Rock Stars about alternative funding.
Previously, funding options were limited to founders maxing out their credit cards, appealing to family and friends, and if they were lucky, connecting with an angel investor and getting on with an incubator; and if very lucky, finally securing venture funding. Crowdfunding has changed that picture. Now with some modest effort, founders can use crowdfunding sites to attract initial funding and attention.
At Startup Rock Stars, entrepreneurs will have a chance to pitch their startup ideas to a panel of expert VCs, angel investors, and crowdfunding pros during the lunchtime pitchathon. Participants will receive funders’ responses to their business pitches, as well as ideas from the crowd on the best type of funding and business approach. To apply, visit http://www.computer.org/Startup.
Besides Meece and Leonhardt, funders at the event will include: •
Rafe Furst, Senior Vice President at Crowdfunder.com;
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Carey Lai, Director of Intel Capital; and
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Sridhar Solur, Managing Director of Next Gen Computing – Incubation and Innovation at HP.
Registration to attend Startup Rock Stars in San Francisco is open now. To find out more about early pricing discounts and team rates, visit http://www.computer.org/Startup.
Among the speakers will be Dr. Taryn Rose, CEO and Founder of DRESR, Inc. and shoe design company Taryn Rose, who has been invited to visit the White House and whose shoes were featured in the Smithsonian. Rose, who received the Compass Award for shifting the paradigm of how women are perceived as business leaders, will speak about "Adaptability: The Key to Survival of the Fittest Entrepreneur."
Brian Gaff, Partner of McDermott Will & Emery, LLP, will speak about intellectual property issues. William Hurley, CEO of Honest Dollar, will share his knowledge on platforms and development. Ash Kumra, co-founder, of DreamItAlive.com, and Rishi Shah, CEO of Digioh, will share their success stories.
Startup Rock Stars will provide valuable information for those running, or thinking of running, a startup – no matter what stage of investment. Visit http://www.computer.org/Startup to see the full list of Rock Stars speakers. About IEEE Computer Society IEEE Computer Society is the world's leading computing membership organization and the trusted information and career-development source for a global workforce of technology leaders including: professors, researchers, software engineers, IT professionals, employers, and students. The unmatched source for technology information, inspiration, and collaboration, the IEEE Computer Society is the source that computing professionals trust to provide high-quality, state-of-the-art information on an on-demand basis. The Computer Society provides a wide range of forums for top minds to come together, including technical conferences, publications, and a comprehensive digital library, unique training webinars, professional training, and the TechLeader Training Partner Program to help organizations increase their staff's technical knowledge and expertise, as well as the personalized information tool myComputer. To find out more about the community for technology leaders, visit http://www.computer.org. Media Contact Margo McCall Communications Manager mmccall@computer.org (714) 816-2182 (office) (714) 822-9253 (mobile)